Can You Play Tony Hawk: Ride with a PS3 Controller? No

No. Tony Hawk: Ride (2009) requires the proprietary Ride Board Controller (infrared sensors + accelerometer board). The game does not accept DualShock 3 / Sixaxis input for gameplay.

Why

• The entire control scheme (lean, twist, ollie, grab, manual) maps to physical board sensors.
• No "classic controller" fallback was programmed.
• The board connects via USB dongle; PS3 sees it as a unique HID device, not a standard controller.

Options

• Find the Board: eBay / thrift ($30–$60). Check sensors work (calibrate in‑game).
• Play Better Tony Hawk Games:
  • THPS 1+2 (Remake) — PS4/PS5/PC/Switch/Xbox. DualShock/DualSense native. Best modern experience.
  • THPS 3 / 4 / Underground 1+2 / American Wasteland — PS2 Classics on PS3 (digital) or PC (mods).
  • THPS HD — PS3 (delisted, but playable if owned).

The Ride board is a novelty peripheral; the core series plays far better on a standard controller.